Tegel Airport, Berlin-Gatow, and the "Bug-Eyed Monster"

The Globemaster C-74, bearing the registration 42-65414, which completed 24 flights between West Germany and the Gatow airfield and set various records in the process, played a significant role for Berlin. Without this "Bug-Eyed Monster," as pilots called this type of aircraft due to its distinctive cockpit, the rapid construction of Tegel Airport would not have been possible. Only in the cargo hold of the Globemaster could the oversized construction machinery required for Tegel's construction be transported to Berlin. The rock crusher was even too heavy and too large for the C-74. It was disassembled into parts at the Rhein-Main airfield, which were first transported to Gatow and then to Tegel to be reassembled on site.

General William H. Tunner, Commander of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), later commented on the significance of the C-74 as follows:

“With one plane which could do the work of three, all of our major problems, would have been proportionally reduced. If we had a full fleet of Douglas C-74s for the Airlift, we would have been able to deliver 8.000 tons daily using only two bases in West Germany and one in Berlin.“